Acta Pharmacologica Sinica最新文献

5T4 is an oncofetal antigen overexpressed in a wide range of solid tumors with minimal presence in normal adult tissues, highlighting its promise as a therapeutic target. In this study, we identified germline-like human monoclonal antibodies targeting human 5T4 with high affinity, among which antibody m603 exhibits superior cell binding activity to various cancer cells including breast, pancreatic, ovarian, lung and liver cancer cell lines. Subsequently, we constructed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell based on m603. By conjugating the antibody with cytotoxic payload DM4 or MMAE, the resulting ADCs demonstrated potent and antigen-dependent cell killing activity in vitro. The ADC conjugated with MMAE payload elicited durable tumor suppression in pancreatic cancer xenograft models. Furthermore, third-generation CAR-T cells derived from m603 (603z-CAR-T), incorporating 4-1BB and CD28 costimulatory domains, effectively induced IFN-γ and IL-2 secretion and remarkable tumor eradication. The germline-like antibody as a versatile platform for 5T4-targeted therapies offers promising immunotherapies for treating solid tumors.

Neurodevelopment is governed by precisely timed biological processes that are sensitive to environmental influences across generations. Among these, the gut microbiota (GM) has emerged as a key regulator of neurodevelopmental trajectories, not only within individuals but also through intergenerational transmission. This review highlights the emerging significance of the GM in shaping offspring brain and behavior, emphasizing its capacity to mediate maternal influences across generations. We first summarize the temporal and intergenerational effects of GM on host physiology and neurobehavioral outcomes. We then explore the mechanistic basis of neuro-microbial-immunometabolic interactions including epigenetic regulation, neurotransmitter modulation, neuroinflammation and intestinal barrier function in the context of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Particular attention is given to how these mechanisms mediate the long-term impact of maternal states-such as stress, diet and inflammation-on offspring neurodevelopment. We further highlight the translational gap from animal models to humans and propose integrating multi-omics, computational modeling, and clinical approaches to define developmental windows and guide precision microbiota-based interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders. By elucidating how microbiota influence neurodevelopment across generations, this review aims to inform the development of novel microbial and pharmacological therapies to promote brain health from the maternal period through early offspring life.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a prevalent neurodegenerative dementia, presents therapeutic challenges due to safety concerns about amyloid-targeting strategies. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may offer alternative avenues for exploration. Ginsenoside Rg1, a key bioactive component of ginseng, has shown neuroprotective potential in okadaic acid (OKA)-induced rat model, its limited brain bioavailability suggests that its metabolite protopanaxatriol (Ppt) may exert these effects. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of Ppt on OKA-induced mice model and the underlying mechanisms. Cultured hippocampal neurons were treated with OKA (0.5 nM) with or without Ppt co-treatment for 24 h. We showed that Ppt (1.25-40 nM) exerted dose-dependent neuroprotection against OKA-induced cytotoxicity, with the maximal protection observed at 10 nM. The suppressed tau aggregation by Ppt was confirmed using a Venus-tau bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) system. Molecular dynamics simulations and microscale thermophoresis (MST) revealed that Ppt bound to the catalytic domain of CDK5 at Cys83, destabilizing the CDK5/p25 complex. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays with CDK5 mutants (S159T, C83A, F80A and D86A) validated this interaction. In vivo mice were treated with Ppt (10 mg/kg, i.g.) for 25 days. On D8 and D9, the mice were bilaterally microinjected with OKA into the cerebral ventricles. We showed that Ppt administration improved spatial memory deficits in Novel Object Recognition and Barnes Maze tests; these effects were abolished in mice expressing a lentivirus-mediated CDK5[C83A] mutant. Hippocampal transcriptomic profiling in OKA-challenged mice following Ppt intervention revealed that Ppt modulated Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission/fusion dynamics, mitigating OKA-induced mitochondrial homeostasis disruption. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Ppt attenuates tau pathology by selectively targeting CDK5 at Cys83, thereby reducing pathological kinase activity, rebalancing mitochondrial function, and improving cognitive outcomes in an OKA-induced mice neurodegeneration model. The study underscores the therapeutic potential of Ppt in AD treatment and supports CDK5 modulation as a strategic approach for addressing tau-related neurodegeneration.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) boasts the advantages of high spatiotemporal selectivity and non-invasiveness, but its clinical application is still limited by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and inherent drawbacks of traditional photosensitizers such as aggregation-induced quenching (ACQ), insufficient targeting ability, and systemic toxicity. We previously conducted a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study on a plant-derived alkaloid, berberine, and found that its derivative B12 not only significantly enhanced antitumor efficacy but also improved water solubility and bioavailability. In this study, we characterized the photodynamic properties of B12, investigated its anticancer mechanisms, and evaluated the photodynamic therapeutic efficacy and biosafety of B12 in the tumors of xenograft mouse models. We showed that B12 was a novel photosensitizer without ACQ effect, exhibited both type I and type II photodynamic activities, and generated a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In addition, B12 (12.5, 25 μM) significantly enhanced its therapeutic effect against RKO and HCT116 cells in the hypoxic microenvironment by inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and downregulating the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1α. In RKO cells, B12 (2 μM) exhibited dynamic dual-organelle-targeting properties after photoactivation: it first induced the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, then translocated to the nucleus and bound to DNA. It improved the intersystem crossing (ISC) efficiency by narrowing the singlet-triplet energy gap, thereby amplifying the generation of ROS and damaging DNA integrity. In mice xenografted with B16 cells, intratumoral injection of B12 (5 mg/kg) followed by 10 min light irradiation daily for 9 days significantly suppressed tumor growth with good biosafety. In conclusion, the small molecule B12 simultaneously possesses type I and type II photodynamic activities, dynamic organelle-targeting and hypoxia adaptation properties. This study may provide a reference for the research and design of hypoxia-tolerant small-molecule photosensitizers and break through the clinical bottlenecks of photodynamic therapy.

Cardiac fibroblasts progressively replace deceased cardiomyocytes during the development of myocardial fibrosis, an irreversible pathological repair process that ultimately leads to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Cardiac injury was evaluated by echocardiography and Masson staining in myocardial  infarction (MI) mice with zinc finger BED-type containing 6 (ZBED6) knockdown or overexpression. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs), and luciferase reporter assays were used to explore the target of ZBED6. ZBED6 expression was notably decreased in vivo in MI hearts and in vitro in TGF-β-induced primary mouse cardiac fibroblasts (PMCFs). Transgenic overexpression of ZBED6 specifically in cardiac fibroblasts improved cardiac dysfunction, reduced the infarct area, and decreased the expression levels of fibrotic genes after MI injury. Conversely, physiological knockdown of ZBED6 induced cardiac dysfunction and remodeling, which is consistent with the phenomena observed in vitro. Mechanistically, ZBED6, which functions as a transcriptional inhibitor of Piezo1, failed to prevent its transcription owing to mutations in the promoter binding sites. Stimulation of Piezo1 in PMCFs facilitates YAP translocation into the nucleus, whereas knockdown of Piezo1 or the use of a Piezo1 inhibitor suppresses this translocation. Moreover, the activation of Piezo1 reversed the cardioprotective effects of ZBED6 overexpression. In summary, the protective effect of ZBED6 against myocardial fibrosis injury is achieved through the inhibition of Piezo1 transcription, leading to reduced YAP nuclear translocation. These findings suggest that ZBED6 may become a potential therapeutic target for the clinical treatment of myocardial fibrosis.

The severe inflammation associated with infectious or inflammatory diseases significantly contributes to mortality. Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) represents a potential anti-inflammatory target, but the development of IRF3 inhibitors has not yielded satisfactory results to date. In this study, we established a phenotype-based high-throughput screening system to conduct activity-guided hierarchical screening of clinical frequently used anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic herbal extracts and compounds. Employing a Gaussia-luciferase reporter system driven by the IFNB1 promoter, we identified sinomenine as a potent type I interferon (IFN) inhibitor from a set of 28 anti-inflammatory herbal products. Furthermore, among 24 synthesized sinomenine derivatives modified by various electrophilic groups, Sim-9 (2.5-10 μM) dose-dependently inhibited IFN responses triggered by TLRs, RLRs, and STING activation in mouse RAW264.7 cells and in human THP-1 cells, HT-29 cells and A549 cells. We demonstrated that Sim-9, by covalently binding to Cys222, induced a conformational change in the pLxIS motif-binding surface of IRF3, thus blocking its interaction with upstream adapters, including TRIF, MAVS and STING, and subsequent homodimerization of IRF3 itself, which were all essential for activation of type I IFN responses. In in vivo experiments, we showed that injection of Sim-9 (30, 60 mg/kg, i.p.) effectively protected against devastating inflammation in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis in mice, and improved cerulein-induced pancreatitis by inhibiting IRF3. Our study discovers Sim-9 as a novel covalent allosteric inhibitor of IRF3 and reveals that the pLxIS motif binding surface represents a previously uncharacterized druggable target for IRF3 activation, providing a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of severe inflammatory injuries.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains the most refractory breast cancer subtype because of its high invasiveness, lack of therapeutic targets and heterogeneity. Type I protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are important epigenetic enzymes that catalyze the methylation of arginine residues in various proteins, playing crucial roles in numerous cellular processes. Targeting type I PRMTs represents a promising strategy for TNBC. In this study we characterized a novel selective type I PRMTs inhibitor, SKLB06489. Compared with the precursor compound SKLB06329 (F = 0.2%), SKLB06489 exhibited a markedly enhanced oral bioavailability (F = 88.4%). SKLB06489 inhibited PRMT1, PRMT6, and PRMT8 with IC₅₀ values of 64.55, 4.21, and 51.27 nM, respectively. In TNBC cell lines MDA-MB-231, Hs578T, and BT549, SKLB06489 dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation with IC₅₀ values in the low micromolar range. In MDA-MB-231 subcutaneous xenograft models, administration of SKLB06489 (40, 80 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, i.g. for 33 days) dose-dependently suppressed tumor growth. RNA sequencing and in vitro validation revealed that SKLB06489 inhibited TNBC proliferation by impairing DNA replication, compromising DNA damage repair, and ultimately inducing G₀/G₁-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In addition, SKLB06489 (5, 10 μΜ) dose-dependently enhanced intracellular cholesterol efflux in MDA-MB-231 cells and Hs578T cells via upregulation of the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1), thereby disrupting cholesterol metabolic homeostasis. We conclude that SKLB06489 is a potent type Ⅰ PRMTs inhibitor with great therapeutic potential and is expected to overcome the TNBC treatment bottleneck. The discovery of SKLB06489-regulated cholesterol homeostasis provides a novel perspective on the biological function of type Ⅰ PRMTs, particularly their role in regulating metabolic pathway.

Phospholamban (PLN) is a regulatory protein of the SERCA2α calcium transporter, which plays an important role in maintaining calcium homeostasis in cardiomyocytes. Deletion of the 14th arginine of PLN (PLN-R14del) leads to dysregulation of SERCA2α and PLN aggregation, and is a common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. In this study, by using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology, we constructed the PLN-R14del mouse model and hESCs. The PLN^{R14del/R14del} mice developed severe ventricular dilation, cardiac fibrosis, and PLN aggregation, as well as premature death due to heart failure. Reduced cardiomyocyte functions and PLN aggregation were also observed in the human PLN^R14del/WT cardiomyocytes differentiated from gene-edited hESCs. AAV delivery of PLN-L31A/I40A, which blocks PLN-R14del and SERCA2α interaction but without blocking the function of the latter, provided a therapeutic effect in both mice and human cardiomyocytes. These results not only suggest that PLN-L31A/I40A gene therapy is practical, but also suggest that blocking the interaction between PLN-R14del and SERCA2α with other modalities, such as small molecules, might also be beneficial.

Aberrant activation of PI3K signaling is frequently observed in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and is strongly associated with metastasis in advanced-stage patients, but the therapeutic efficacy of PI3K inhibitors and underlying mechanisms in LUSC remain poorly defined. CYH33 is a highly selective PI3Kα inhibitor, which is in phase I/II clinical trials for the therapy of advanced solid tumors including LUSC. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of CYH33 against metastatic LUSC. We showed that CYH33 dose-dependently suppressed the motility of LUSC cells by blocking PI3K signaling and disrupting cytoskeletal structure. Oral administration of CYH33 significantly attenuated the metastasis of orthotopically implanted xenografts derived from LUSC SK-MES-1 cells. RNA-seq and GO enrichment analysis revealed that CYH33 treatment resulted in decreased infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in primary tumors. We demonstrated that CAFs promoted the migration of SK-MES-1 cells by secreting the pro-migratory factors and activating PI3K signaling in tumor cells, which was blocked by CYH33. Moreover, CYH33 concurrently suppressed the trans-differentiation and proliferation of CAFs, thereby reducing the secretion of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which likely contributed to its anti-metastatic effect. Consistently, co-inoculation of SK-MES-1 cells with fibroblasts significantly potentiated tumor metastasis in nude mice, whereas CYH33 treatment robustly suppressed this process, accompanied with reduced expression of α-SMA and HGF as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature in primary tumor. Furthermore, CYH33 possessed potent activity against the growth of LUSC with hyperactivated PI3K signaling. Collectively, the dual-targeting of CYH33 that directly blocked PI3Kα in tumor cells and disrupted CAF-mediated pro-metastatic signaling supported PI3Kα inhibitors as a potential therapeutic approach for advanced LUSC.

The pathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI) is closely related to the senescence of renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs). The role of small ubiquitin-like modification (SUMOylation) in cellular stress and senescence has been gradually elucidated. Recent evidence has demonstrated that SUMOylation of p53 promotes cellular senescence. In this study, we investigated whether p53 SUMOylation-mediated cellular senescence contributes to AKI. A mouse AKI model was established via intraperitoneal injections of cisplatin (20 mg/kg, i.p.). The mice were sacrificed 72 h after the injection, and both blood and kidney tissue were collected. We found that UBC9 (Ube2i), the sole E2-conjugating enzyme for SUMOylation, was significantly upregulated in injured kidneys and drove p53-mediated cellular senescence. Tubular-specific knockdown of Ube2i or administration of the small-molecule UBC9 inhibitor 2-D08 (10 mg/kg, i.p, twice prior to and post-cisplatin injection) markedly alleviated senescence-related marker expression, improved renal function, and attenuated tissue damage in AKI model mice. We demonstrated that UBC9 interacted with p53 and promoted its SUMOylation at lysine 386 (K386). Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that UBC9 enhanced p53 binding to the p21 promoter, whereas the K386R mutation abolished this interaction. These results establish UBC9-mediated p53 SUMOylation as a critical pathway in acute injury-related renal senescence in mice and suggest its potential as a therapeutic target.